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Saw-shelled turtle
The Saw-shelled turtle, (Myuchelys latisternum Gray, 1867Gray, J.E. 1867. Description of a new Australian tortoise. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 3(20):43-45), is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family. It is endemic to Australia, ranging along rivers and streams and connected swamps and lagoons from coastal Cape York Peninsula to northern New South Wales. They are thought to have been introduced to Lake Eacham in the Atherton Tablelands. Other common English names are: Serrated snapping turtle, or Common sawshell turtle.Ryan, Michelle, General Editor. (2000). Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to Mackay. Queensland Museum. ISBN 0-7242-9349-3.Ehmann, Harold (1992). Encyclopedia of Australian Animals: Reptiles. Angus&Robertson. ISBN 0 207 17379 6 (Reptiles) Description The female is considerably larger than the male with a carapace up to 28 cm long compared to the males which rarely get bigger than about 18 cm. The carapace is roughly oval and broad at the rear. They are not usually aggressive, but can bite fiercely. They can also emit a strong smell. The shell has marginal serrations which are the reason for its common name, the "Saw-shelled turtle". It retains some of these serrations throughout its life. "The head shield extends down the side of the head to just above the tympanum, and the top of the neck has prominent pointed tubercules (many of these with an apical sensory pit)." The carapace is mainly brown to dark brown, commonly with some some dark blotches. The plastron (underside) is yellowish. The head is large with a projecting snout and a horny plate on the top. The neck can fold sideways. The feet are webbed and also clawed. Hatchlings have serrated hind legs which become smooth as they mature.Elseya latisternum Nomenclatural History Myuchelys latisternum (Gray, 1867) (Common sawshell turtle) * 1867 Elseya latisternum Gray, 1867, holotype, BMNH 1947.3.4.13, from North Australia. * 1871 Euchelymys spinosa Gray, 1871, holotype, BMNH 1946.1.22.77, from North Australia. Synonymy follows that of Gray (1872a) and Boulenger (1889).Gray, J.E. 1871. On Euchelymys a new genus and two new species of Australian freshwater tortoises. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. (4)8:117-118. * 2009 Myuchelys latisternum — Thomson & Georges, 2009Thomson, S. & Georges, A. (2009) Myuchelys gen. nov. —a new genus for Elseya latisternum and related forms of Australian freshwater turtle (Testudines: Pleurodira: Chelidae) Zootaxa 2053: 32–42.. First use of combination. The combination Wollumbinia latisternum (Wells, 2007), was declared unpublished and hence unavailable for use by Georges & Thomson, 2010.Georges, A. & Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1–37. Nesting The females nest from September to December. They can have three to four clutches in one season of between 9 and 36 eggs which hatch before winter in about 60 days, with the incubation period shortened in southern regions. The eggs are variably described as either, "hard-shelled (34 X 22 mm)", or as small and "flexible-shelled". Feeding habits The Saw-shelled turtle is carnivorous and feeds on fish, tadpoles, frogs, aquatic insects and is one of the few native Australian animals successful in preying on the introduced and very poisonous Cane Toads (Bufo marinus). Toads too large to swallow whole are first shredded with their front claws. References External Links *Images of Saw-shelled Turtle. *Gondwanan Turtle Site *Australian Natural History Safari Category:Chelidae